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Recent articles about Connecticut Huskiesen-us20 college football players who will define Rivalry WeekIt’s Rivalry Week in college football, and it’s time to get excited. There are great games across the board — some with huge playoff consequences. We decided to take a look at 20 players who will define the best week in college football, one from each big game, with the exception of the Iron Bowl, from which we took two. Come Saturday, there’s nothing left to say. Time to leave it all out on the field. Here are Rivalry Week’s most important players.Montez Sweat, defensive lineman, Mississippi StateIf Sweat can wreak some havoc along the Ole Miss offensive line, the Egg Bowl will be over before it starts. The Runnin’ Rebels are playing backup QB Jordan Ta’amu. Though he’s been solid in six games, that’s been with solid protection. Against rivals Mississippi State, Ole Miss’ O-line could be overmatched. Sweat has nine sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss this season. If he can bother Ta’amu, the Rebels will have a lot of trouble moving the ball.Tre’Quan Smith, wide receiver, Central FloridaSouth Florida has a chance22 Nov 2017 19:39:13 -0500http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/20_college_football_players_who_will_define_rivalry_week/s1_12680_25066502
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/20_college_football_players_who_will_define_rivalry_week/s1_12680_2506650220 college football players who will define Rivalry Weekhttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/20_college_football_players_who_will_define_rivalry_week/s1_12680_25066502http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/9/99550e93e62fe5ed6457e00bc4b9188954b7dbf1/top_story/10421429.jpgTop storylines for college football Week 2There’s no spectacle to compare to the weekly drama of collegiate sports, and we’ve got some tremendous games on the slate in college football Week 2.The big-ticket attractions are the handful of games between top teams, such as Auburn going up against Clemson and Stanford heading into USC territory. Oh, and we can’t forget about Oklahoma and Ohio State.Of course, this early in the season there are the predictable supposed gimmes lined up for some of the nation’s top teams as well. Though, if last weekend’s action was any indication that doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot.These are the things we’ll be looking forward to the most in college football Week 2.1. Friday night fireworks as Oklahoma State goes to workIf you didn’t get a chance to watch Oklahoma State put up 59 points last week, tune in Friday night. ESPN2 is featuring the Cowboys on the road against South Alabama, and we should see an offensive clinic. Mason Rudolph leads a passing attack that is among the most dynamic in the nation. Receiver James 06 Sep 2017 00:20:57 -0400http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_storylines_for_college_football_week_2/s1_12680_24615517
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_storylines_for_college_football_week_2/s1_12680_24615517Top storylines for college football Week 2http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_storylines_for_college_football_week_2/s1_12680_24615517http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/5/8525041f3151c5c02627f43556b7fefb7ff700b9/top_story/10250594.jpgTop takeaways from college football Week 1A bunch of the top teams in the nation got off to seriously sluggish starts to open the season in college football Week 1. It’s to be expected, to a certain degree, but there were some rather alarming performances that leave us with more questions than answers about the coming weeks.One of the hottest coaches of the offseason absolutely tanked his debut in the biggest upset of Week 1. A Heisman favorite struggled through a very frustrating day in which he failed to throw a single touchdown pass. One of the hottest names in NFL draft circles failed to live up to the hype.It wasn’t all bad, though. Some major programs watched newcomers have outstanding games in blowout wins. Some very recognizable names put up monster stats for their respective teams.There was plenty of good, bad and ugly in college football Week 1. These are the biggest takeaways from the biggest games of the week so far, with a few left to play on Sunday and Monday.1. Texas-sized failure in Tom Herman’s Longhorns debutTom Herman might be look03 Sep 2017 04:48:25 -0400http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_takeaways_from_college_football_week_1/s1_12680_24610161
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_takeaways_from_college_football_week_1/s1_12680_24610161Top takeaways from college football Week 1http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_takeaways_from_college_football_week_1/s1_12680_24610161http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/a/0abd63c37438e08417531d45e751238bb197f88a/top_story/10253754.jpg10 NFL prospects who are rising, falling heading into draftThe 2017 NFL draft is about a month away, and the draft board looks like a Chutes and Ladders board with all the names going up and down.These players have seen their draft stock fluctuate wildly and probably have to brace for another roller coaster month before they finally know their future.(NFL Draft Scout and NFL.com were used for scouting reports.) Rising: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State Marshon Lattimore and Malik Hooker have overshadowed Gareon Conley, but Conley could complete a first-round hat trick for Ohio State’s star-studded secondary.Lattimore could be the first overall cornerback off the board, but teams who figure that he’ll be gone by the time they pick are taking a long look at Conley.The 6’0″, 195-pound redshirt junior went from two interceptions and five pass breakups playing opposite Eli Apple in 2015 to four interceptions and eight pass breakups last season. According to NFL.com, he allowed just 37 percent of the passes thrown his way to be completed. That screams “shutdown corner potentia27 Mar 2017 16:15:55 -0400http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/10_nfl_prospects_who_are_rising_falling_down_draft_board/s1_12740_23569057
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/10_nfl_prospects_who_are_rising_falling_down_draft_board/s1_12740_2356905710 NFL prospects who are rising, falling heading into drafthttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/10_nfl_prospects_who_are_rising_falling_down_draft_board/s1_12740_23569057http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/4/84b33ca1f6c97f4b964d12e9c13f915c6671f316/top_story/9920284.jpg5 players whose 2017 NFL Draft stock is risingThe 2017 NFL Combine has come and gone, but as it’s always been intended, the week-long event in Indianapolis helped many young prospects boost their draft stock with quality performances. And with Pro Days now being held around the county, even more prospects are helping their cause by showing NFL scouts they’re a cut above the rest.While much will change between now and the 2017 NFL Draft, which will be held in late April, there’s no denying the impact these recent stock shifts will have in the war room of all 32 teams.With that in mind, here’s a look at five players whose draft stock is rising.5. Joe Mixon (running back, Oklahoma)Joe Mixon may not have been invited to the 2017 NFL Combine, damaging an early opportunity to prove his athletic prowess to league scouts, but he’s certainly made up for that.While many continue to have legitimate questions about his domestic violence history — a 2014 video shows him viciously striking a female in the face — Mixon’s willingness to discuss the incident has afforded26 Mar 2017 15:43:41 -0400http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/5_players_whose_2017_nfl_draft_stock_is_rising/s1_127_23561185
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/5_players_whose_2017_nfl_draft_stock_is_rising/s1_127_235611855 players whose 2017 NFL Draft stock is risinghttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/5_players_whose_2017_nfl_draft_stock_is_rising/s1_127_23561185http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/a/aa374e99a085b86ae40785cdf1310575c492517a/top_story/9922539.jpgBiggest winners, losers from 2017 NFL Scouting CombineAfter a week of being poked and prodded, a week of lifting, running, jumping and being grilled, NFL hopefuls can finally put the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine in their rear-view mirror.While the combine isn’t the end all, be all when it comes to evaluating talent, it does serve a valuable service. Interviews are critically important, and so is comporting oneself in a professional manner. The latter proved problematic for one of our biggest losers from the combine, which we’ll get to a bit later.Of course, there are instances when putting up jaw-dropping numbers actually does vault players into the upper echelon of draft prospects, which we saw a few times over the course of the long weekend.And other times, these types of performances just cement the status of players who were already considered to be the best of the best. This absolutely rings true for the consensus No. 1 player, Myles Garrett, who put on an awe inspiring performance on Sunday.Taking a look at the past week, these were the biggest winners and lo06 Mar 2017 14:28:30 -0500http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/12_biggest_winners_and_losers_from_2017_nfl_scouting_combine/s1_12680_23395003
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/12_biggest_winners_and_losers_from_2017_nfl_scouting_combine/s1_12680_23395003Biggest winners, losers from 2017 NFL Scouting Combinehttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/12_biggest_winners_and_losers_from_2017_nfl_scouting_combine/s1_12680_23395003http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/5/550395caea2d54c7b72fef3a984998b0c7ed8ce2/top_story/9915416.jpgRecruit has scholarship offer pulled by UConn at last secondJanuary can be a very cruel time of year for college football recruits, and one high school player who has been verbally committed to UConn for seven months learned that the hard way this week.
Ryan Dickens, a two-star linebacker recruit from Raritan High School (N.J.), received a phone call from UConn head coach Randy Edsall on Sunday night. With just over two weeks left until National Signing Day, Dickens was excited to hear from his soon-to-be coach. Unfortunately, Edsall had called to inform Dickens that he was no longer being offered a scholarship.
“And the next thing you hear is Ryan’s like, ‘You’re kidding, right?’” Dickens’ mother Patti told Todderick Hunt of NJ Advance Media. “And then he put the phone on speaker and Edsall said, ‘No, Ry, we just decided we’re going to go in another direction. We don’t have a spot for you.'”
Former UConn coach Bob Diaco, who was recently fired, had recruited Dickens last year. While that can sometimes be an issue with a coaching change, Dickens says Edsall assured17 Jan 2017 13:01:31 -0500http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ryan_dickens_has_scholarship_from_uconn_pulled_two_weeks_before_signing_day/s1_127_22984891
http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ryan_dickens_has_scholarship_from_uconn_pulled_two_weeks_before_signing_day/s1_127_22984891Recruit has scholarship offer pulled by UConn at last secondhttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ryan_dickens_has_scholarship_from_uconn_pulled_two_weeks_before_signing_day/s1_127_22984891http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/6/d655b894cad03b71aeec38d4dc46f42578c74d13/top_story/8851073.jpgUCF had no idea UConn was creating a rivalry trophyBy Steve DelVecchio
Perhaps desperate to start building the same sort of tradition with its football program that its basketball program is already steeped in, UConn recently created a trophy for its “rivalry” with Central Florida.
UConn unveiled the trophy on Monday, which is has named the “Civil Conflict” trophy. Is it pathetic that two schools that have played each other twice have created a rivalry trophy? Yes, but it’s even more pathetic when one school does it without the other’s knowledge.
Sigh. As a UConn alum, I find this quite embarrassing.
UCF won the first meeting between the two teams in 2013 by a score of 62-17. UConn got the best of the Knights in a 37-29 upset last season, and that was the Huskies’ only AAC victory. UConn coach Bob Diaco was so excited after that win that he came up with the trophy idea.
“We’re excited about this North/South battle. You want to call it the Civil Conflict? Maybe I’ll win my money and make a trophy,” he said at the time, per KnightNews.com. “I’ll buy it mys02 Jun 2015 19:09:20 -0400http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucf_had_no_idea_uconn_was_creating_a_rivalry_trophy/s1_127_18899402
http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucf_had_no_idea_uconn_was_creating_a_rivalry_trophy/s1_127_18899402UCF had no idea UConn was creating a rivalry trophyhttp://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucf_had_no_idea_uconn_was_creating_a_rivalry_trophy/s1_127_18899402http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/5/657d0762cbeac2ab440140c5ff6a9f0a3c693c56/top_story/UConn-UCF_Nov_1_2014.jpg